Check your ideology at the door. The place for columns, analysis and stories by political analyst Susan J. Demas, whose work has been featured in or on NBC News, Newsweek, Forbes, RealClearPolitics, The Atlantic, The Politico, The Economist, Reuters, The Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg News, the Guardian U.K., Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Herald, Seattle Times, mlive.com, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Toronto Sun the San Jose Mercury News, WKAR-TV's "Off the Record" and more.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Follow the money: GOP primary a battle of fundraising

By Susan J. DemasJackson Citizen Patriot

Barry Fry has never shaken hands with Tim Walberg and can't punch a ballot for him.

But the retired businessman from New Jersey didn't hesitate to scribble $513 in checks to the Tipton Republican, who has banked about $600,000 in his quest to unseat U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz, R-Battle Creek.

Why?"(Walberg is) endorsed by the Club for Growth," explained Fry, 63, referring to the political group that advocates lower taxes, expansion of free trade and other conservative positions. "He's going to Washington, and what he does has an awful lot of impact on all of us."

The 7th District GOP primary on Aug. 8 has vaulted into the national spotlight, pitting a moderate freshman congressman endorsed by President Bush against a conservative pastor.

The Washington-based Club for Growth has bundled more than $400,000 in donations to Walberg, a former state lawmaker who touts he has never voted for a tax hike.

Schwarz isn't hurting for money, either. Almost 60 percent of the lawmaker's $1.25 million is from political action committees, with GOP leadership and health professionals topping the list.

"Rep. Schwarz is a valued member of the Republican Congress and we support him fully," said Brunson Taylor, spokeswoman for House Majority Whip Roy Blunt's Rely on Your Beliefs PAC, which donated $9,999.

But Schwarz isn't taking any chances. He has also tapped U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who have hit the campaign trail trumpeting Schwarz's pedigree as a physician, Vietnam veteran and former CIA operative.

Power of the people?

Walberg has money. Schwarz has even more -- and plenty of political muscle, too.So where does that leave the voters of the 7th District?

Out of the loop and out of luck, says Rich Robinson, executive director for the Lansing-based Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

"You have people contributing to someone they couldn't pick out of a police lineup," Robinson said. "That has a way of taking away the power of the local constituency."It's hard to square that with democracy."

Seat for sale?

Walberg has managed the rare feat of mounting a serious challenge to a well-known incumbent, thanks to an aggressive fundraising effort.

That's where Club for Growth's national network of 36,000 members kicks in. Since 1999, they have funneled tens of millions of dollars to pro-business candidates, including U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Brad Smith in the 2004 7th District GOP primary.

"If I go to Congress and lower taxes, reduce pork-barrel spending and kill the tax codes of the IRS," Walberg said, "you can say, 'Yep, I'm bought and paid for by them.' "

JoeSchwarzIsALiberal.com also is Club for Growth's brainchild, as is a corresponding TV ad campaign that's dominated the airwaves for several months.

"They're a big player," said Albert May, George Washington University communications professor and campaign finance expert. "They're a very aggressive organization in the use of the 527 (tax-exemption) vehicle."

That's landed the group in hot water. The Federal Election Commission sued Club for Growth last year for not registering as a political committee and is awaiting a judge's ruling.

Schwarz's team filed an FEC complaint Thursday, claiming Walberg's campaign broke the law by hiring a Club-for-Growth pollster.

The incumbent also contends Walberg's campaign finance reports filed last week are missing $100,000 in expenses. Walberg's campaign manager, Joe Wicks, said staff will submit a new report including items accidentally omitted.

About the Author

Susan J. Demas is a 2006 Knight Foundation fellow in The Fourth Estate and the Third Sector program for nonprofits investigative journalism through Marshall University.
She writes a syndicated political column reaching 3 million readers for RealClearPolitics, the Detroit News, Lansing State Journal and eight newspapers for mlive.com.
Demas’ work has run in or on more than 60 national, international and regional media outlets including NBC News, Newsweek, Forbes, National Public Radio, The Atlantic, The Politico, Reuters, Bloomberg News, The Economist, Columbia Journalism Review, Guardian U.K., Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Herald, Seattle Times, Toronto Sun, WJR-AM in Detroit and Michigan Public Television's "Off the Record."
Demas started her journalism career at The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette, the second-largest newspaper in Iowa, where she specialized in women’s issues and Middle East affairs and covered the 2004 Iowa Presidential caucuses. In 2004, Demas reported from the U.S. Army Base at Ft. Dix, N.J., on units training for the Iraq war.

Rave Reviews

Each week, I mercilessly skewer politicians in my syndicated column, occasionally drawing fire from partisan blogs on both sides. Of course, if I happen to point out that bloggers don't adhere to basic journalistic standards and are unwitting (and sometimes willing) pawns for the parties, that's when the hysterical posts go up and misspelled hate mail flies in.

My favorite tributes:

Michigan Liberal's Wanker of the DayMy crowning glory. I reordered my business cards accordingly and am still awaiting my commemorative plaque, signed by the pseudoanonymous blogger of Michigan Liberal's choice. It will look lovely above my fireplace.

Susan the MSM GoddessI stand corrected. That one's even better. Bloggers with porn-star worthy names flog me for being a bad journalist for my column on how the media owe readers better government reporting, proving that reader comprehension is overrated.